It is Ayrton Senna’s 1993 McLaren-Ford MP4/8A, the car the three-times Drivers’ World Champion drove in eight Formula One races in ’93, including Monaco where he scored his last of six wins there, eclipsing the mark set by Graham Hill 14 years before and sealing Senna’s title as the Master of Monaco. Twenty-five years on from this final Monaco triumph the McLaren will be offered by Bonhams for sale at its Monaco auction on 11 May, with the car on view at Le Grand Palais, Paris, on 6-8 February.

One of the most special of all Formula One McLarens, the MP4/8A was, in fact, a bit of a one-off. Post Honda and pre Peugeot, McLaren found itself engineless so a deal was done to install a Ford Cosworth HB V8 just for the ’93 season. There was scepticism the active-suspension car would be able to compete with the V10 of the Williams-Renaults, but Senna – in his last season for McLaren – put paid to that from the off. He brought the McLaren home second to Alain Prost’s Williams-Renault at its debut in the Spanish Grand Prix. The car would not give him a fourth title – he finished the season second to Prost – but it did prove more competitive than could have been imagined.

Surely every F1 fan has a memory of Senna in the MP4/8 in ’93. The active suspension dumping Ayrton unceremoniously into the barriers at Ste Devote during qualifying for the Monaco GP. The inspirational wet drive in the European GP at Donington Park. Running out of fuel in the British GP at Silverstone. Beating Prost for the last time in the last race of the year in Australia, what was to be the great champion’s 41st and final F1 career win.

The car in the sale, chassis number six, was spare car in some of these races, and it did have its share of mechanical faults that year, but this chassis did start eight times, finishing fourth in the French, German and Belgian GPs as well as winning in Monaco and taking second in South Africa. Quite a special car then and said by Bonhams to be startlingly well-preserved and in running order.

So what are we bid? Bonhams isn’t offering a guide but perhaps an indication is the sale in 2017 of Michael Schumacher’s 2001 Ferrari, the car that took him to nine GP wins that year and his fourth World Drivers’ Championship. RM Sotheby’s sold that for US$7,504,000, or about £5.6m, a record for a modern-era F1 car.

Talent and motivation that he possessed were unbelievable, humanity and courage separated him from others. His passion and spirit will serve as an example for generations to come. Ayrton Senna will remain a myth forever.

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A SOURCE OF WISDOM

“ When my car goes into a corner, I am already at the apex, and so on. It’s the same whether I am braking, changing gear, putting on the power, whatever. In effect, I’m predicting what I’m going to face, so I can correct it before it actually happens. ”

In the late 1990’s Universal Geneve teamed up with the Ayrton Senna Institute (IAS). Founded in 1994 by Ayrtons Senna’s family and presided by...

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Ayrton Senna represents our childhood, he is synonymous for our growing up and the most beautiful years of our lives. He pushed the boundaries and paid the ultimate price, that’s what made him the greatest. Enjoy with us in our journey through time and keep the good moments forever.

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A PASSION FOR SUCCESS

” Winning has never come easy, It was always in a fighting way. Sometimes you have to sacrifice so many things to fulfill your dreams. Even if that means disagreeing with some people. They will never truly understand or want too. But as long as you believe, you will succeed. “

motorsportmagazine.com | July 2011
For a few days after seeing Senna movie, I couldn't get the man out of my mind, and perhaps not surprisingly...

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Support the Ayrton Senna Institute to ensure kids learn to read and write at a proper age. For over 20 years the Ayrton Senna Institute has contributed to create opportunities for children and young Brazilians through education.

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